Tag Archives: beer

1 - Poor (never again), Beer Reviews, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgium, Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.

Kasteel Hoppy

Friday, 4 September 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Top fermented beer, contains barley malt.

My rating: 1
My beeradvocate.com rating: 1.92
My ratebeer.com rating: 1.9

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of November 2015 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a clear golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly leaving a very thin soapy layer and some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Starts with caramel malt and fruity orange, lemon before turning grassy, pine and a metallic iron finish.
Taste: Metallic iron overpowers everything else. Other than that though, there is some light caramel malt sweetness at the beginning and then lots of floral and herbal bitterness that lasts long into the aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: Ughhh, I like hops. But this… It started off all well and good with a nice pour. It actually looked tasty. But then it all went downhill with the aroma first and then even further with the taste. I just really did not enjoy the taste at all. This one was not for me. I don’t even want to categorise this under Belgian Pale Ale…

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Witbier, Clown Shoes Beer, USA

Clown Shoes Clementine

Wednesday, 2 September 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Clown Shoes Beer
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Witbier
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Mercury Brewing Co., Ipswich, MA.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Clementine is a beer conceived in a dream, in the middle of a blistering beatdown of a day. We used clementine essence, sweet orange peel, coriander and summit hops to smack that mean day upside the head with a refreshing clown shoe.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.76
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a bottled on date of 2nd January 2015 and poured into a pint glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a hazy orangey amber colour with a just over one finger white head that dissipated quite quickly leaving a very thin foamy layer.
Aroma: Strong citrus and sweet orange in the smell with hints of coriander and grass.
Taste: Definitely very orangey with citrus orange, orange peel and mandarin shining through. Hints of coriander and pine then a slight spicy but peppery finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: A good witbier that I would probably buy again. Admittedly I was iffy when I smelt the strong orange aromas, as I did not enjoy the other really orangey witbier that I’ve tried. But this was much better and restored my confidence somewhat on orange flavoured beers.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Stillwater Artisanal Ales, USA

Stillwater Stateside Saison

Tuesday, 1 September 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Stillwater Artisanal Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 6.8%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Brewed at Two Roads Brewing Company, CT, USA.

Brewer Description: (from website) Pays homage to old world tradition while celebrating new world innovation. Naturally brewed with the finest European malts & fresh aromatic hops from the United States & New Zealand. It’s then fermented using a classic farmhouse ale yeast and bottle conditioned to enhance stability. The outcome is a beer of unique design and exquisite taste, showcasing some of the best attributes of modern-day craft brewing.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.52
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle that has a bottling date code of 364:14 aka 30th December 2014 and was poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy orange tinted golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly.
Aroma: Bready malts, quite yeasty, hint of coriander, honey and then some fruity banana, pineapple, apple and lemon to end.
Taste: Starts sweeter than expected but ends with a lasting bitterness. Honey and bubblegum upfront, followed by mild or even weak apple juice, and hints of banana, spicy pepper and lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: I prefer my saison’s sour whereas this one is hoppy. Having said that, it’s still very refreshing and easy to drink.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, IPA - Black, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller Beer Hop Breakfast

Monday, 31 August 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.5%
Style: American Black IPA
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Mikkeller at Lervig Aktiebryggeri (Norway).

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Black India Pale Ale brewed with coffee.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.41
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with surprisingly for Mikkeller, no best before date either on the bottle or cap. Poured into an oversized wine glass.
Appearance: The beer poured opaque black with a slightly less than two finger dark mocha brown head that dissipates quickly leaving spotty lacing.
Aroma: Mainly roast coffee bean and chocolate, hints of almond and brown sugar with a pine hop background.
Taste: Strong coffee bean mixed with pine hop and grapefruit bitterness. A hint of brown sugar sweetness lends a hand to a very nice lasting bittersweet finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with medium carbonation and slight creaminess.
Overall: I enjoyed this a lot. It is very well balanced and extremely tasty. I see debate on whether this is a black IPA or just a hoppy stout, but for me, mostly due to its lightness, it’s a black IPA.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Tripel, Belgium, Brouwerij Haacht NV

Tongerlo Prior Tripel

Sunday, 30 August 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Haacht NV
Country: Belgium
ABV: 9%
Style: Belgian Tripel

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Abbey beer brewed with the approval of the Norbertins of Tongerlo. This beer was refermented in the bottle for a more refined aroma and a broader, richer taste palette. Contains barley malt and wheat malt.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.51
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 10th October 2016 and poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a clear deep golden colour with a fluffy two finger white head which lasts a long time and leaves stringy lacing.
Aroma: Mainly bready malts and unripe banana with hints of pear.
Taste: Flavour is strong with sweet banana, clove, honey and bready malts. There was also a hint of spicyness and the booze comes through towards the end.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with good carbonation.
Overall: This was quite a nice tripel especially when comparing its price to other decent tripels.

words of another dreamy traveller